Exposure
by heartstrung
Summary: "'No.' Thalia tore away from Percy, throwing herself a good three feet away from him. 'No, Percy, I don't want to talk about it. Not now, not ever.'" He only wants to help her, but Thalia resists. T for strong language and content. PERLIA.


**AN:/ **It's been I week since I last posted something, but at least I didn't make you guys wait any longer. Since I'm not fanfiction's bitch, I'm not required to be constantly writing 'cause I have a life to live with track pretty much every school day, homework, and other things. So sorry for making you wait, but again, it wasn't a long time. This is another Perlia fic because I am in love with the pairing and am willing to convert others into fans as well. I hope I succeed. If you love the pairing I suggest you check my other stories for more Perlia yumminess. Enjoy!

**AN as of 7/7/2011:/ **Huh, turns out I did less editing that I thought. Yay for less work!

**Disclaimer:** I am not a kick-ass rapper from the ghettos of Detroit; therefore I do not own "Cleanin' Out My Closet" by Eminem, my inspiration. Neither am I Rick Riordan― I just like to play in his world. He owns PJO.

**.x.**

**{**I got some skeletons in my closet

And I don't know if no one knows is

So before they throw me in my coffin and close it

I'ma expose it**}**

**.x.**

"Thalia, please." Percy gripped her hands tightly and willed her to look up. "Please, will you tell me?"

She shook her head.

"Tell me why then. Tell me why you won't talk to me."

No reply.

He gently grasped her chin and lifted her face towards his. "Thalia―"

"No!" Thalia tore away from Percy, throwing herself a good three feet away from him. "No, Percy, I don't want to talk about it. Not now, not ever." The tone in her voice was final as she dropped her electric gaze to the floor.

"It's only going to get worse if you don't," he murmured gently, attempting to convince her.

Thalia glared at him. "You think I haven't tried? You think I haven't fucking tried?" she laughed hysterically. "It's harder than you think, being sent to the local fucking shrink every time the Hunters are in town 'cause I won't talk to anybody else!" Her hands were in the air. "Artemis tries, and every time I turn her down. They probably think I'm crazy!" More laughter, but she choked up this time. "I probably am."

"Then talk to me. I'm no shrink and I'm definitely not Artemis, and even though I might not be able to do anything about it, _you will feel better_. I guarantee it, please," Percy pleaded with her, his sea-green eyes begging for her to confess.

"You don't get it, do you?" Thalia's face was flushed and her body shook. "I don't want to talk about it! You don't know what he did!" Her bottom lip quivered.

Percy wrapped a distraught Thalia in his arms, who buried her face in his chest after trying - without avail - to shove away. "Thalia, what did he do?" he goaded her softly, voice barely above a whisper.

"H-he… he… he…" The rest of the sentence was lost in silent sobs soaking his T-shirt.

"He did what?"

"H-he… he…" she took a deep breath, "he _raped_ me." And she broke down.

After recovering from his shock, Percy jerked Thalia's face up, searching her eyes for what he hoped was a glint of amusement. There was none. "Who? Who… raped you?" He wasn't comfortable saying the word now that he knew what Thalia had been subjected to.

Through a chorus of breathless cries and sniffles, she explained: "It was on a night about eleven years ago. I was still living unhappily with my addict mother, who often brought home guys from the clubs she frequented. One night, she came home drunk with this man, who was equally smashed, and they stumbled into my mother's room and slammed the door. I didn't see them until…" she swallowed the thick lump in her throat, "until he entered my room a few hours later.

"It was late and I couldn't sleep, so I was reading a magazine - well, not exactly reading, seeing as I couldn't. It was more like looking at the pictures. So yeah, I was on my bed when my door blew open, revealing a very high man with wild eyes and a pedophile smile. He approached me slowly, as if I was prey, and then he lunged at me like he was an animal. And then he," she went hush, "raped me. It hurt so much, he left bruises on every bit of me, I couldn't even get up in the morning, but somehow I found the strength to and acted as if everything was fine. My mother never knew."

Realisation dawned on Percy like the setting of the sun. "Is this why we didn't―?"

"Have sex? Yeah, it is." Thalia wiped her tears away with her sleeve. "Sorry about your shirt," she mumbled when she saw his grey shirt stained black with her makeup.

Percy smoothed away any escaping tears with his thumbs from her face. "It's okay."

"It's also the reason I joined the Hunters, you know," Thalia suddenly said.

"It wasn't because of the prophecy?"

She snorted. "No, that was only a cover up. I could deal with being a 'prophecy child'."

"Oh."

There was a moment of silence that Thalia was grateful for. It meant Percy was actually thinking for once.

"So… do you wanna go another round?" Percy asked.

"You're going down, Seaweed Brain."

Percy winced.

"Oh, sorry, love."

He just smiled and tackled her to the ground, the two wrestling to be on top, occasionally shocking or splashing the other. Thalia was glad for the distraction, but couldn't help thinking, _Maybe Percy was right for once._

Just once.

**AN:/** The ending did not have wrestling of a sexual kind, for your information. Actually, it could have been. Just depends on how you think about it. Okay, it may not be my best (even though apparently I'm too hard on myself), but it's something. I don't feel like writing much more, so I'm just going to ask to the review and stuff. Every day, I check my email and every time I see a notification from my stories my heart swells. You people have no idea how much all your faves and reviews mean to me. _I love you like a love song, baby._


End file.
